The Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Ryan O’Reilly to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2019 1st round pick, a 2021 2nd round pick, Vladimir Sobotka, Patrik Berglund and Tage Thompson.
The 2019 first round pick St. Louis is sending to Buffalo in the O'Reilly trade is top 10 protected, Blues GM Doug Armstrong
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) July 2, 2018
1st 2019. 2nd 2021. Tage Thompson. Sobotka. Berglund. That is a major return for the Sabres. I get why the Blues did it, they add ROR and Bozak today and they’re a better team. But given the midnight pressure to deal ROR, impressive by Jason Botterill
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 2, 2018
O’Reilly was with the Sabres for three years and he provided consistency on the scoresheet:
- 2015-16: 71 GP, 21G, 39A, 60 PTS
- 2016-17: 72 GP, 20G, 35A, 55 PTS
- 2017-18: 81 GP, 21G, 37A, 61 PTS
One of the best at faceoffs, O’Reilly had huge trade value, especially since he’s only 27 years old.
"Hey Ryan – Doug Armstrong calling." https://t.co/Igr20bJzKL #stlblues pic.twitter.com/Y3M2aK7AOn
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) July 2, 2018
GM Jason Botterill got a lot in return for O’Reilly and the Blues are taking on all of the salary in addition to paying ROR’s signing bonus that is due at midnight.
Tage Thompson is a young prospect who the Blues took in the 1st round (26th overall) in the 2016 Draft.
Andrew Forbes of The Hockey Writers described him as a future impact player at the NHL level.
“His raw skill and size should significantly impact where he goes in the upcoming draft. He can move quickly for a big guy and sees the ice as good as most project first-round picks. While he might not possess the same quality of skill as the top five picks, he’s has an all-around game that should make him an attractive prospect. He’ll likely develop into a top-six forward at some point.”
Big and skilled, historically strong on PP. Excellent shot. I see him playing RW with the Sabres org. Still just 20 years old (2016 draft), needs to add a little more beef to his 6-foot-5 frame. Scored 33 goals in 70 NCAA games with UConn prior to first full pro season in 2017-18 https://t.co/XiTNDAqGOy
— Kris Baker (@SabresProspects) July 2, 2018
Patrik Berglund is a 30-year-old forward who has spent all 10 seasons of his NHL career with the Blues. His best season was in 2010-2011 when he put up 52 points (22 goals, 30 assists). He has a cap hit of just under $4M for each of the next four years.
Vladimir Sobotka will turn 32 on Monday and is coming off a 20-goal season with St. Louis.